In Remembrance of the Dead
by Hakumei-chan
Summary: Sarutobi failed to stop the summoning of the third box. To his surprise, it wasn't Minato.


Summary: Sarutobi failed to stop the summoning of the third box. To his surprise, it wasn't Minato. Giotto-centric

**In Remembrance of the Dead  
**

Chapter 01: Kidnapped

_Death is a daily occurrence in the battlefield. _

_He could see his fallen comrades lying on the ground, unmoving. They weren't even breathing. _

_Most of them were great people. Now, he won't be able to see or talk to them anymore. On the other side of the field, the enemies were getting ready to launch another attack. _

_Eight kunai. Eight is all he need to wipe them out. They won't know what hit them until it's too late. _

_They charged and he threw those flying projectiles at the same time. In a blink of an eye, his enemies fell to the ground, dead. Not a single person on the other side is alive. Not anymore._

_It was as expected in a battlefield. _

/-------------/

Sarutobi Hiruzen failed to stop the summoning of the third box. The old Hokage could only stand firmly on his ground, there wasn't anywhere to run for his former student's underlings barricaded him. He watched the first two boxes open, revealing the Shodaime and Nidaime.

"It's been a long time, eh, Saru?" asked the Nidaime.

"You've grown old, haven't you, Sarutobi?" Shodaime asked.

"I would have not thought I would meet you two brothers again in a situation like this," Sarutobi began with a hint of sadness in his tone. _'If I'm correct, the third box should contain Minato.'_

Namikaze Minato, the former Yondaime Hokage and the one who sealed the Kyuubi into Uzumaki Naruto. He wondered vaguely how would the young boy react if he saw the man who condemned him to loneliness and sadness for over a decade. Luckily, he sensed the young boy going off to a different direction away from here.

He prayed to every deity in the universe to watch over for the boy and wish him well on whoever he's going up against next.

"The third coffin isn't opening," Nidaime stated the obvious. "The youngster who initiated the summoning…maybe the two of us was all he could-"

Suddenly, the third coffin erupted into a pillar of orange flames causing the opposing sides to jump back in surprise. Sarutobi and Orochimaru's mind they both know Minato never had such an ability and the man had an affinity with the wind, not fire. However, those flames don't seem to be normal flames either. If the man isn't Minato, then who did Orochimaru summoned in the first place?

The coffin rapidly burned away to nothing, the pillar of fire died out and a revealed a man unscratched and unharmed in any way. The newcomer wore foreign clothing under his black cape; clothes Sarutobi could identify the man as a powerful businessman. The cape helped Sarutobi deduct the man is of some sort of nobility, or something close to it. In one hand, the man was holding on a skull, examining the content of the bone with delicate care. The skull looked as if could crumble in the man's hand if he apply anymore force on to it.

'_Are those real flames on his forehead and hands?' _Sarutobi thought to himself with surprise. He never heard anything about a bloodline limit of controlling flames in such a degree. With a wave of his hand, the fire died out, and the man's eyes changed from a fiery orange to a ocean blue color.

In a way, Sarutobi could see some similarities the man has with Minato. The blonde acted like Minato for the man has the same kind of eyes Minato had before heading off to battle. The aura the man has around him was uncanny and for a moment he did actually believed the man was Minato for a second. Sarutobi didn't know he should be relieved or troubled with the new comer now he knows that he isn't going to face all three former Kage of Konoha.

A second question surfaced in his mind: is he a friend or foe?

"Who the hell are you!?" Orochimaru demanded, obviously he was furious with the failed summon. The man stared back at Orochimaru with disinterest and the look only intensified the Sound leader's fury. It felt like the blond was staring down at him as if he was weak.

There was a short silence before the man finally opened his mouth to speak. Surprisingly, the man spoke Japanese with a hint of accent laced with it.

"By the mountain head up there, I suppose you're the current leader of the this…village," Sarutobi blinked before his eyes narrowed.

"I am," Sarutobi replied, suspicious of the man before him. "Who are you?"

"An unfortunate victim that's been snatched away from his family," the blond replied with a heavy drip on sarcasm in his voice. "To be in a coffin with a corpse can sour one's mood. I hope whoever behind this will compensate this with his life."

_'Snatched?'_ Sarutobi thought. "You're alive?" The blonde stared at him for a moment before replying.

"Of course I'm alive," he said. "Why would I not be?"

"This is unheard of," the Shodaime began. "A living human…summoned by an undead jutsu."

"But this is also the most intriguing," Nidaime added. The man turned to the first two summoned corpse, then to Orochimaru and finally back to old Hokage.

"If you wish, I can give you a hand against those three." the blonde offered. Sarutobi looked at the man with uncertainty.

"How do I know you are not under my former student's control?"

"I am a victim just like you right now," the man replied. "I have a family to get back to, preferably soon before my family members decides to overturn the country just by looking for me, and this jutsu the corpse has mentioned is like magic. Without the support of the summoner, everything shall return to where they belong. Even without your consent, I will fight." Sarutobi started at the man with disbelief.

Obviously the man is not a shinobi(no self-respecting shinobi would wear anything as formal as the suit the blonde is wearing now). No sane shinobi would be foolish enough to challenge Orochimaru so casually unless they're on a suicide mission.

"Fine, do as you will," Sarutobi consented. "But may I ask again, what is your name?" The man was hesitant for a moment before finally replying.

"Giotto." Giotto replied and his gloves lit up, along with the flame on his forehead, and his irises changed from blue to a honey-gold color. "Vongola Giotto. I really hope you don't mind me killing this man with the first change I get."

Sarutobi prayed and hoped he wasn't going to regret this.

/----------------/

Author's Rambling: I can think of a couple people out for my blood considering I'm starting another story instead of working on my other stories. I could think of a couple people from the top of my head right now. Sorry for the short beginning, but I'm doing this early in the morning and I'm so tired.

Alasse-Tasartir, I blame your Minato and Giotto pic for this idea!!!(In a good way, I do love that pic. xD)

Like? Hate? Review!


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